Beet-thinning shoe for cultivators.



No. 639,275. Patented Dec. I9, I899.

F. M. DEDER & J. E. WRIGHT. BEET THINNING SHOE FOR GULTIVATOBS.

(Application filed Apr. 12, 1899.)

(No Model.)

FRED M. OEDER AND JAMES E. WRIGHT, OF VEST BAY CITY, MICHIGAN.

BEET-T'HINNING SHOE FOR CULTIVATORS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 639,275, dated December19, 1899.

Application filed April 12, 1 899.

T0 60% whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRED M. OEDER and JAMES E. WRIGHT, citizens of theUnited States,residingat \Vest Bay City,in the county of Bay and Stateof Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSugar-Beet-Thinning Shoes for Cultivators; and we do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains tomake and use the same.

Our invention relates to machines for thinning sugar-beetsthat is,removing the surplus young beets from the row in which they were plantedand leaving only the best and most promising beets at regular intervalsin the rows; and our improvement pertains more particularly to theconstruction of the cutting knives or shoes by which the thinningoperation is accomplished.

The objects of. our invention are, first, to provide a pair ofbeet-thinning shoes that can be readily attached to existing forms ofhandcultivators 5 second, to produce a pair of thinning-shoes that canbe adjusted vertically to suit the height of the operator for convenienthandling and that can be brought together or separated to suitdifferentsizes of beets or tilted up in front to cut the crust of earththat forms on lowland beet-fields; third, to provide shoes that will notobstruct the view of the beet while the shoe is being set over itpreparatory to removing the neighboring beets; fourth, to provide a pairof shoes that can be adjusted to turn in at the forward end andseparated at the rear end to prevent injury to the young plants by asudden sidewise movement of the cultivator-frame when it is pushedforward, as is frequently the case when one of the cultivator-wheelsencounters an obstruction or a hole in the ground; fifth, to produce asan article of manufacture a sugar-beet-thinning shoe made of a singlepiece of metal that shall be inexpensive to make and thoroughlyefficient in its operation.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughoutthe several views of which similar figures of reference are used todesignate similar parts and devices.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in persaai No. 712,767. (No model.)

spective ofa machine embodying our improvement. Fig. 2 is a top viewof apair of the beet-thinning shoes, showing the method of attachment to theframe of the machine. Fig. 3 is a front view of a pair of shoes attachedto the frame. Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of a single shoe and itsattachment.

As is clearly shown in the drawings, each of the pair of shoes thattogether make up our improvement consists of a side or body portion 1and a rear Wardly and downwardly extending wing portion 2, both of whichare preferably made from a single piece of sheet metal.

In practice the shoes are used in pairs, one right hand and one lefthand, and separated from each other, so as to permit the shoes to beplaced one on each side of the beet that is to be saved, when by aforward movement of the machine-frame the shoes are advanced and thelower cutting edges of the wings 2 cut off and carry aside the surplusplants on either side of the remaining beet.

The forward sloping edge 1 of the side 1 is rounded on the-top, so as topass under and raise the leaves of the larger beets without injuringthem. The sides 1 are slanted away from the vertical from the bottom up,thus permitting the operator to see the bottom or cutting edges of theplate 1 by looking between the shoes and enabling him to easily locatethe shoes, so as to operate without injuring the beet he wishes to save.By sloping the wings 2 outwardly and downwardly, as shown in thedrawings, the severed beetleaves are not left between the remaining rowsof beets, but are pushed aside, leaving the soil around thebeets freeand affording better opportunity to inspect them and keep them in propergrowing condition.

At the top edge of the side 1 is provided a projection 1 preferablyattached by rivets or otherwise to the side 1 or made integral with it,as shown in the drawings, and having a hole 3, adapted to receive a bolt3 for clamping a bracket at to the shoe. The

bracket has a vertical slot 4, through which the bolt 3 passes, by meansof which vertical adjustment of the shoe may be accomplished, and alsoallowing the toe of the shoe to be raised or lowered. By tilting theshoe so as to raise the toe 5 clear of the ground the rear part of thecutting edge 1 is made to cut the soil at the side of the beet with ashearing movement, while the lower cutting edge of the wing 2 severs theadjacent beet-tops and weeds and carries them to one side. The means fortilting the shoe, as above described, produces important practicalresults, for in practice it is found that a thin crust or shell of hardearth forms over a beet-field, especially in low localities, andcultivators having teeth with flat horizontal cutting edges or sharpdownwardly-extending parts catch under the crust and by disturbing ituproot the young plants, causing great loss. Cutting the soil with ashearing action, as is done by our improved shoe when tilted up infront, as above described, overcomes this difficulty and preserves theplants.

The top of the bracket 4 has a horizontal flange and is bolted throughits top portion to the frame 6 of the cultivator mechanism. By adjustingthe bolt 7 horizontally in the slot usually provided in such machinesthe distance between the cutting edges of the shoes can be increased ordiminished to suit the varying sizes of the beets, increasing as thegrowing season advances. A fourth advantage of the horizontal flange onthe bracket 4:, with its adjusting-bolt 7, is that the shoes may beswerved horizontally, so as to bring the toes of the shoes closertogether and separating the after parts. Thus in uneven or stony groundor soil having many irregularities in its surface when the shoes arethus swerved, as is shown in Fig. 2, the points can be easily placedeach side of the beet, and

1 when the machine is pushed forward if the wheels encounter a hole orother obstacle the sidewise jerk of the frame incident thereto will beless liable to cause the cutting edges 1 to injure the beet.

l l l i It is thus seen that by the means above described we produce anattachment for hand cultivator-m achines that is simple in constructionand efficient in practice, that can be manufactured at small cost, andthat will take the place of the larger part of the handwork heretoforeemployed in the beet-fields.

hat we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. In a beet-thinning device for attachment to Cultivators, thecombination with a downwardly projecting horizontally adjustable bracketattached to the cultivator-frame and having a vertical slot; of acutting-shoe comprising a side portion sloping downwardly and nwardlyand having a lower horizontal cutting edge and an upwardly andrearwardly extending blunt forward edge, and a wing portion formedintegral with the side portion and extending outwardly and downwardlyfrom the rear part thereof and having a lower horizontal cutting edge,said shoe being adjustably attached to said bracket, substantially asset forth.

2. A beet-thinning shoe made of a single piece of sheet metal comprisinga downwardly and inwardly inclined side portion having a cutting bottomedge and an upwardly and rearwardly extending non-cutting forward edge;a downwardly and outwardly extending wing portion formed by diagonallyflangingthe sheet metal from the side portion, said wing portion havinga cuttingbottom edge; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our sigua tures in presence of twowitnesses.

FRED M. OEDER. JAMES E. WRIGHT. Witnesses:

Gno. B. WILLGOX, FRED P. BEACH.

